


When Shadows Fall (And Worlds Collide)

by Zankana



Series: Linked Universe [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), linked universe (fandom)
Genre: Abusive Father, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, Little Wild AU - Freeform, Separations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 10:01:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18892363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zankana/pseuds/Zankana
Summary: It was a quite night, and keeping watch was more a formality than anything else. Then word of a hurt child and an angry adult had her moving through the forest in the dark.





	When Shadows Fall (And Worlds Collide)

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the currently weekly prompt of Crossover on the LU Discord and by the Little Wild AU Discord as well.
> 
> WARNING: There is lots of abusive language directed at a child character by a parental figure.

It was nice to be back in Alandria after being trapped in the demiplane of Barovia for what had felt like months but was in reality only weeks. The Band of the Newcoming Sun had reported in and been debriefed at the local Order Headquarters. Besides the hazard pay, they were allowed a couple months off to deal with the traumas, horrors, and losses they had experienced and to consider if they wished to continue or not with the Order. Kelis, the half-elven druid, was going to leave the Order and planned to return home. She invited the rest of the party to come with her to celebrate the Autumn Festival with her. The others, eager for a break after the horrors of Barovia, all agreed to come along. Some, such as the tiefling paladin Myra and the dragonborn-turned-lizardfolk sorceress Rujhalla would be continuing elsewhere after the festival.  

They had been traveling a few days, and were currently camping for the night. Two watch shifts had passed and it was currently dark out. Myra was keeping watch, sending her large feline mount, Riju out on rounds as he was much more stealthy than her. Myra smiled slightly when Ruhjalla made a small noise, wishing her watch was over soon so she could hold her love. Pushing that want to the back of her mind, Myra focused on keeping watch. She would do her best to not fail at keeping them safe again, to not fail Ruhj. Isha, a small blue cat-like spirit, rubbed up against her as if sensing her dark thoughts. “I’m okay.” She gave Isha a small smile as she adjusted the goggles on her face. Turning her gaze back to the woods, she watched the shadows for threatening movements.

_ ‘Found Cub! Cub hurt! Angry man yelling.’  _

The sound of Riju’s voice in her head was not expected, let alone for the knowledge of a small child to have been found.  _ ‘Let me wake Tristan and I’ll head towards you. You’ll need to guide me.’ _ Myra responded before moving to wake the sleeping cleric.

“Tristan,” she kept her voice low to not wake the others unnecessarily. “Wake up. I need to go check on something Riju found. He said it’s a hurt child. We might need you to help heal the little one.” At his nod and appearing to wake, she headed off after Riju, following his directions with Isha on her shoulder.

She palmed the swordless, golden hilt in her hand, choosing to keep it in it’s hilt form as she did not need its light to see and traverse the forest. The closer she got to the location, she started to hear a muffled masculine voice though she could not make it out clearly yet. Moving as stealthy as she could with her muscular frame and armor, she made her way closer.

“Worthless,” the masculine voice spat, still just out of sight. “You can’t even kill that atrocity of an animal. You’re to soft. Atrocities like that purple cat thing should be put down.”

Myra felt rage starting to build. She did her best to stay calm and move closer.

“No wonder they left you. Just as they should have. You don’t deserve their kindness. You piece of garbage. They are all going to die because of you,  _ boy _ . Because you couldn’t keep up. Because  _ you _ are weak.”

Myra thought she was making good progress, almost had them in her sight when the worst happened and she stepped on a twig and a loud snap echoed through the forest.

“What was that? Are you just going to stand there and let whatever that was sneak up on you? You really are the worst.”

Riju, watching from his tree, sent her the image of the very young cub moving to go check out the sound with a knife in hand at the urging of the angry, toxic man. Just as she was about to move to meet them, she realized Isha was gone from her shoulder.

“Prrrmww?”  

It took a moment but she found her, standing in front of the young one. He was so young, maybe four, and it looked like he was limping. He was about to reach down to pet Isha when the source of the masculine voice floated out of the tree line. It appeared to be a masculine figure, dressed in armor and covered in blood. There was a sword in the spirit’s hand and the moment it’s gaze landed on Isha, a look of disgust appeared on its face.

“Oh, another of those atrocities. Kill it. The world does not need anything like that.”

Isha let out a hiss and bared her fangs before disappearing to reappear in a tree.

“What are you going to do now? Going to let it live? Is it better than me? Than all the others of Hyrule you let die because you cannot kill something as small as that atrocity? You are worse than trash.  _ You _ are the reason I’m dead. That everyone is dead. All because you are a spineless  _ coward _ who should have died instead.”

Myra had heard enough, and decided to throw her poor attempts at stealth out the window. “That is enough out of you, spirit.” She exited from the tree line and moved to stand in front of both of them with her eyes focused on the spewer of cruelty. Her large frame towered over the both of them and her tail lashed in response to her anger.

“Demon! Ganon-spawn!” The cruel spirit spat at her. “Kill it or it shall kill you. Or maybe you should let it. Maybe then you might actually be worth your value.”

The child rushed her with a knife, motivated by the cruel words. She kept the child in her field of view but her focus remained on the cruel spirit tormenting the child. She could afford to to take the hits aimed at her if they landed. “I said. That was enough out of you. You will torment this child no longer.” She took the hit that made it past her armor from the child, choosing instead to continue addressing the vileness in front of her.

“Monster. Why should I listen to you? Your master seeks to destroy me and mine.”

This spirit was not going to see reason. “Monster. Heh. I only see one monster here, and it isn’t me. So, I will say this one last time. Stop your torment of this child or I will make you.” With just a thought, the sword hilt still in her hand burst into a blade of light. The blade illuminated the world around them, bringing her muscular, horned form into stark relief with the forest around them. The light reflected off of Riju’s eyes from the tree he had climbed to observe, and he let out a deep warning growl.

The spirit’s eyes narrowed. “Kill that thi-” His words cut off when he let out a scream as the blade of light found itself lodged through him before pulsing with a bright and powerful radiance. Myra was there, holding the sword hilt in both hands, tail lashing pushed more of her power to smite into the sword. “Begone. You will harm the child no longer.” With a quick movement she pulled the sword free before swinging it again, once more smiting this vile entity and in an explosion of bright light that filled the clearing. When the light level returned to normal, the vile spirit was gone.

The child had yet to stop his attack and as the knife of the child found purchase once again, she looked down at him. “Little one, enough. I do not wish to harm you. The only one facing the wrath of my ire was your tormenter.” Gently taking hold of his hands she attempted to slow his attacks as he stared blankly at her. Riju jumped down from the tree, and was making chuffing and purring sounds as he approached.  _ ‘Be gentle, Riju, not everyone wants a kitty bath.’ _ He gave her an offended look, before snuffling the child gently.

After a moment, it the mask of blankness on his face started cracking and he reached to pet and hug Riju. The knife dropped and forgotten on the ground. Myra took inventory of his injuries while he was distracted before she heard a soft, feminine voice.

“Thank you.”

The spirit that floated there, was unlike any she had seen yet. The race appeared to be tied to an aquatic environment and if she thought about it, this one resembled a dolphin. “You’re welcome. I don’t like monsters, of any kind.” She turned as she started to see three more spirits appearing to join the first in the wake of the destruction of the dark spectre.

“That man held to much power over little brother,” spoke a large figure that reminded her of some of the earth gensei she had met but not.

“He kept us away, preventing us from protecting the child,“ spoke the tall, muscular yet feminine figure with a sharp nose and bright red hair.

“Our powers were useless; we could do nothing,” spoke the last, a humanoid bird, reminding her of the kenku and the aarakocra, but not quite.

“I am glad he has you again. Some spirits find joy in taking close friends and protectors away.” Myra nodded to each of them before reaching gently for the child once more, but not quite touching him. “May I treat your injuries little one?”

He gave her a weary look, not letting go of Riju.

“You do not have to let Riju here go. I just need to touch you okay? And if that’s not enough, I’ve got a friend who can help.”

“Link, you can trust her. She will not hurt you,” spoke the aquatic spirit. At those words, he gave Myra a small nod and watched as she placed a gentle hand on him and channelled healing energy into him. The look of relief on his face was immense. Once she was finished, she carefully asked. “Do you have any caretakers nearby?”

He tensed under touch for just a moment before shaking his head. Letting go of Riju, he carefully reached to pick up Isha, who had been rubbing against his legs. “That’s okay. My friends and I are headed to the next town. We can take you there and see if we can find anyone looking for you okay, Link?”

He gave her a small tense nod before whispering something under his breath.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

“Wild. I,” he paused briefly before continuing. “I want to be called Wild.”

“Okay, Wild. My name is Myra. Myra Duskwood. And you are holding my friend Isha and this big lug,” she affectionately gave Riju a scratch, “is Riju. Can you properly introduce me to your friends?”

He looked at her nervously before the aquatic one took charge. “I am Mipha.”

“Daruk.”

“Urbosa.”

“Revali.”

Finally with a name to put to each of them, she smiled. “Let’s head back to my camp. My companions await us there. My friend Tristan is a cleric, a healer. You should be fine but I woke him before I left and he will likely want to check you over. You can hold Isha on the way back. We can even ride Riju, how does that sound?”

He gave her a small, tiny sliver of a smile before nodding.

Myra picked him up before she mounted Riju. Carefully, she sat him in front of her, allowing him to continue to hold Isha close and her the ability to hold on to him and to hold onto Riju. With a silent command, Riju began making his way back to the camp with the boy’s spirit friends following behind.

\----

Elsewhere, a young half-elf woke up alone, in the remains of a village that did not resemble where he had fallen asleep. “Ily? Evie? Ser’Tule? Ash?” He yelled out as he looked around for them in this unfamiliar place. “Where are you?” He searched around on guard, and alone for the first time in several months. His scarf billowed behind him as he searched the area before he stumbled onto a camp of some sort, only it wasn’t his companions. Nine people sat around the camp, blond hair and pointed ears on all of them with plenty of armor and weapons to go around. It was too late to escape noticed as all of them had turned their attention upon him. So he asked.

“Who…. are you?”


End file.
